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Sunday, July 5, 2015

THE BATTLE OF BLENDERS – Real Techniques vs. Beautyblender

For those of you who
remember my post about the Sephora haul from a couple of months ago, you will
also probably remember that I got myself a Beautyblender (BB). Now, the BB is
apparently the one true original blender and we have quite a few products now
on the market trying to give us the same performance for a smaller price. I
personally have been using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge for
about a year now and I was really excited to do this comparison and see what
the big deal is all about.

Now, obviously the
first thing that pops to mind when we talk about the differences is the price.
The Real Techniques sponge for example sells on Licila.si for about 8 €
and you can get the Beautyblender on different pages, like the Beautybay for a
hefty 20 €.

When dry, the
Beautyblender looks absolutely tiny compared to the RT sponge.

But as any other
sponge, both of these give the best results when they are wet. While the size
of the RT sponge doesn’t change much, the Beautyblender actually increases to
almost double the size. Also interesting – when completely dry, Beautyblender
shrinks to its original size.

Many of you know that
I am a true fan of the Real Techniques tools in general and this blender is no
exception. It comes in quite a sturdy packaging which gives you some pointers
how to use different sides of the blender and how to take care of it.

The Beautyblender also
comes in a packaging which is also meant to hold it at all times you don’t use
it. Included in the package are some instructions, similar to the Real
Techniques ones.

Now I’ve been using
the Beautyblender for about two weeks and I have quite a firm opinion on it. Compared
to the RT, it’s much softer on your skin. It doesn’t soak as much foundation
up, even if you use it dry. The difference is not big, but it’s surely
something that you’d notice in the long run.

When applying
foundation, I find it much easier to really buff it in with the Beautyblender,
since it’s a bit more bouncy (flexible), meaning you can actually tap it on
your skin, while you have to use some dragging motions with the Real Techniques
sponge.

Washing the
Beautyblender is pretty straightforward – I use a drop of my Makeup Revolution
brush wash and just wash it under the sink. After two weeks, it shows no wear
and tear, except for a few small spots where the pink color washed out. On the
other hand, this is what happens to an old Real Techniques sponge.

For reference, this
sponge is about 7 weeks old and was washed approximately every two days. It’s
certainly on its path to the trash, but do you see the holes and the cracks?
These will certainly not help you apply your foundation any easier, and it does
make it a bit more difficult to wash.

All in all
(considering the price, performance and the time you can use a single sponge
until you need to toss it), I’ll give this one to the Beautyblender. Unfortunately,
it’s an opinion which is not kind to my wallet. While I can completely see
myself continuing to use the Real Techniques sponge, since it’s really still a
good dupe, I’ll probably stock up on Beautyblenders next time I’m abroad (where
they are considerably cheaper) and just live a long, happy life with them.

Do you have any other
blender in mind you’d like me to compare to the Beautyblender to see if it’s
worth your money? Let me know in the comments below!